This invention relates to basketball goals in general, and in particular to basketball goals of the type which have what is commonly referred to as a breakaway rim. Breakaway rims have become increasingly popular, not only because they are believed by some to reduce damage to backboards, especially when players slam or "dunk" a basketball through the hoop, but because the sight of the rim pivoting downwardly during heated play is apparently particularly appealing to many spectators of the game.
In the past there have been numerous attempts to design and develop basketball goals having breakaway rims. Some of these attempts have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,111,420; 4,365,802; 4,534,556; and 4,676,503. Though these attempts have achieved varying degrees of success and/or acceptance, they are nonetheless subject to certain drawbacks. These drawbacks relate, for example, to the location and geometry of the component parts, the poor absorption of forces of the component parts during normal play and the rim snapping back into place, the unwanted increase in the tolerances of the component parts, and the susceptibility of such parts to damage and wear.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved basketball goal of the type utilizing a breakaway rim. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide a basketball goal of the type described wherein any forces that the rim is subjected to are effectively absorbed so that increases in the tolerances of the component parts is minimized which permits a longer lifetime for the rim.